No offense but that is as bullshit as it comes. And rediculously subjective for posting on any board that prides itself on its objectivity like the JERF.

Hell, why even run the survey here? I could have anecdotally told you that Phrost, Omega, Asia, and Strong Machine have all discussed their feelings about the role of self defense in MMA teaching. There, you got your many.

But running a poll to give it an air of authenticity is pure bullshit. Running said poll in a location with a low number of real MMA competitors who already share similiar viewpoints is too.

Given a few more days and a few other MMA fighters/former fighters chiming in, and it will be a sufficiently representative sample for the purposes of that discussion.

My feelings on the subject is that a lot of MMA schools don't explicitly train self defense applications for their techniques. But the crux of the issue is that it's much easier to transition to self defense mode from sport fighter mode, than it is vice versa, because:

a.) Fighting is an athletic activity; only honed by realistically practicing the skills you need to employ to be successful at it (full contact sparring). Sport fighters already have the edge of pressure testing their skills against fully resisting opponents.

and

b.) Barring weapons and multiple attackers, the only difference between a sport fight and a self defense situation is the intent on the part of the Martial Artist involved; whether to win a victory, or escape/injure/kill your attacker. It doesn't take much to flip on that switch in a fight or flight situation to toggle between the two, to extend that arm bar an extra two inches to break the arm, or to hold on to the choke for an extra few seconds.

c.) Given the fact that in a multiple attacker situation your only realistic option is to try and flee, this leaves weapons as the main thing MMA training is lacking. And again, your best bet when facing an armed attacker is to run.

So if you're really concerned with self defense:

1. Train at a school that does MMA-type sparring.
2. Practice wind sprints.
3. Buy a gun and learn how to use it properly.